The Compass
by Elphaba'sGirl
Summary: Elizabeth had always loved the sea. She loved the way it looked, the way it smelled, the way it felt, the creatures in it, and the tales about it. But most of all, she loved the boy who came from the sea.


**Soo... Hi. This is my first pirates fic, so I hope it goes over well...**

**first of all, I've only seen the first movie, so excuse any accidentally non-canon details. Also, I have no idea where the compass actually comes from I only know what I looked up on disney wikia. So sorry if something's incorrect, but this is kinda AU anyway, so I guess it's fine...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean**

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Elizabeth had always loved the sea. She loved the way it looked (with the sun glittering on the waves in an ethereal dance with the angles) the way it smelled (salty, fresh, and somehow as old as time itself) and the way it felt (like cool silk on a summer's day). She loved the creatures that lived in the sea, and the tales of the mermaids that resided there. She loved the stories of life at sea, and she loved pretending at being a pirate.

But mostly, she loved the boy who had come from the sea.

It was six years and eight months after William Turner's rescue, a Saturday, and Elizabeth was in her room, her hands wrapped around two objects, both of which had been obtained that day far in the past when she had first met William Turner.. One; a piece of gold, marked with a skull, on a long chain. Two; a very old, very rusty compass that didn't work. Elizabeth loved the way they felt, for the simple fact was, if one were to disregard everything else, that they felt like the sea.

Elizabeth had never been one to sit still for long, and soon she stowed the treasures in the pouch she carried at her waist and hopped off her bed, heading for the door. She hopped on her right foot halfway down the hall, then on her left until she reached the stairs. She desperately wanted to slide down the railing, but Aunt Kiera was visiting, and if you looked just so from the parlor into the front hall, you could see the staircase, and Auntie was ever so strict about such things...

So Elizabeth (regrettably) walked down the stairs, flung open the door, and stepped out into the sun.

Now, the governor's mansion was situated on a thin strip of beach, and it was easily accessible to Elizabeth. When she was younger, especially immediately after "The Incident" as her father liked to call it, when William Turner had been rescued, she had not been permitted down at the water by herself, but now her father had realized that it was much easier to keep Elizabeth out of his hair while he was working if she could go by herself, and Elizabeth had benefitted from this (of course, sane hadn't been on a boat since then, either, but that was sure to remedy itself sooner or later).

Now she lifted a smooth rock in her hand, felt its weight, and skipped it four times on the still water, (for it wasn't a windy day, and the harbor was very nearly landlocked, with only a small strip of water keeping it from being a lake rather than an ocean).

"Ahoy, lady?"

Elizabeth turned to the boy walking toward her. He was about four years older than she, with a spring to his step and a wily little smile on his lips. "Hello, good sir. Are you enjoying this weather?" A fresh breeze lifted off the ocean and kissed her cheeks, bringing a sweet smile to her face.

"Aye. But I was wonderin' if ya could help me."

Elizabeth nodded her delicate head. "Of course, good sir."

"I be lookin' for a man called Turner. Though I suppose he wouldn't be a man quite yet, still a boy."

Elizabeth looked at him blankly. "William? He works for the blacksmith in town."

"Aye, I thank you, lady." He gave her a bright smile (made brighter by the fact that he was sporting a gold tooth) and Elizabeth felt her heart flutter.

"Why are you looking for Will- Mister Turner, I mean?"

He winked. "He's got something that belongs to me."

"What?"

"A compass."

Elizabeth's hand flew automatically to the pouch at her hip. "C- compass?"

The boy caught the movement, and raised his eyebrow at her. "Aye, a compass."

"This compass... Do you need it desperately, Mister...?"

He seemed to remember himself and bent into a gracious bow. "Jack Sparrow, at your service, lady. And aye. Desperately."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Master Sparrow. My name is Elizabeth Swann."

"A pleasure, Miss Swann."

She blushed. "Now, this compass of yours, what would you do if it were broken?"

"Broken?"

"Yes,"

"Broken how?"

"Say... The needle wouldn't move?"

"I'd say it's in mint condition, lady."

Elizabeth reached into the pouch and pulled out the compass. Jack's eyes glittered.

"Aye, lady, that's it! Now give it to me," he said, holding out his hand.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I have something you want. The question is; do _you_ have anything _I_ want?"

Jack smirked. "Sorry, lady. I've got no pretty hair ribbons or diamond necklaces for ya. But if you'll just hand over me compass...?"

"No." Elizabeth lifted her chin defiantly. "I can't see any profit in it for me."

Jack grinned. "You want payment?"

"Not in gold."

The smile flipped into a frown. "Then what do you want?"

"I want you to tell me where it came from, and what life is like at sea." She waited impatiently for his answer.

"Well, what makes you think I'd know any of that?" Jack laughed uncomfortably.

"Please," Elizabeth sniffed. "I know you're a pirate. You look like something out of a legend, Jack Sparrow."

He bowed again, cockily. "Well, then, I guess you should know that it's Captain Jack Sparrow, lady."

"Alright, Captain, tell me," Elizabeth demanded.

Jack sighed and sat down clumsily on the sand, and Elizabeth followed, positioning herself so that she was facing him.

After a moment of silence, Elizabeth prompted, "the compass?"

"How do I know you'll keep your word and give me the compass?"

"You don't. You'll just have to trust me. And of the two of us, I'm the only one who hasn't already lied to the other, so it's my word we shall trust."

Jack looked at her suspiciously. "And what did I lie about?"

Elizabeth lifted her chin regally. "You can only be twenty years old-"

"Twenty one."

"Alright, twenty one, then, but there's no way you're a captain. I've never heard of a captain under thirty."

"Well, ya haven't exactly been at sea, have ya?"

She stared at him until he sighed and conceded.

"Now, tell me."

Jack sighed, looked her in the eye, then leaned back on the sand, his hat pulled low over his eyes, and began.

"The compass belonged to Bootstrap Bill- though I guess you'd know him better as William Turner. 'Course, this was just after young William was born."

"This Bootstrap person was his father?"

"Aye."

"I see. Go on."

"Bootstrap wanted his son to have it, when he was old enough, but it was stolen from him a year after William was born. I was part of Bootstrap's crew at the time, and ran across it in my travels. I bartered it from the mystic Tia Dalma, and set out on my own to make my fortune. Course I had the bad luck to get stuck in a storm, and the only ship for miles was the Black Pearl- that's Bootstrap's ship, lady- and re boarded her. The young Turner boy- he was around thirteen by now- stole the compass back from me, and I attempted to reclaim it, but the crew began an attack just then, and I never saw Turner again. I later found out that he had fallen overboard, and I assumed he was dead. But I see now that he's very much alive."

"But it's broken, Jack. Why is a compass so valuable that three men would fight like that over it?"

"True enough, this compass does not point north."

"...Where does it point?"

"It points to the thing you want most in this world."

Elizabeth sat, considering, as Jack picked up the compass that she'd set on the ground while she talked.

He then stood, cracked his back, and tipped his hat to her. "Well, now I have what I wanted, and you have what you wanted, so I'll be on my way."

"Wait!" Elizabeth grabbed his arm as he started to walk away. "What do you want?" She asked him.

He arched an eyebrow. "The compass. And now I have it."

"But the compass leads you to what you want most in this world... So what is that?"

Jack looked out over the water, a strange look in his eye. "I suppose I'll know it when I get there, and with this to lead me it shouldn't be long."

He turned once again, and headed for the tiny rowboat pushed up into the sand.

"Jack!" Elizabeth shouted as she ran toward him once again. "Jack, you must tell me what life is like at sea."

Jack winked. "Aye, but remember I told you half of what you wanted to know, and you gave me half of what I desired."

"Half? I gave you the compass."

"But as you said yourself, I must want something else or the compass would hold no value for me."

Elizabeth smiled slightly, and watched as Jack prepared to leave. He climbed into the boat, and pushed off the beach as he rowed out to sea.

"I think you'll make a great captain someday, Jack Sparrow."

"And you are already a lovely lady, Elizabeth Swann."

Elizabeth blushed, and Jack sailed out to meet the larger ship, waiting in the harbor.

**So yeah, I ship Jack/Elizabeth (Jacabeth? Sparabeth? Elizarrow? Elizack? Help me!) tell me what you thought!**

**E.G.**


End file.
